Mining machine having laterally adjustable head



C. F. BALL March 20, 1962 MINING MACHINE HAVING LATERALLY ADJUSTABLE HEAD Filed April 15, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY.

March 20, 1962 c. F. BALL 3,026,097

MINING MACHINE HAVING LATERALLY ADJUSTABLE HEAD Filed April 15, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3.

INVENTOR CHARLES E BALL ATTORNEY.

C. F. BALL March 20, 1962 MINING MACHINE HAVING LATERALLY ADJUSTABLE HEAD 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 15, 1958 Fl GT7.

INVENTOR CHARLES E BALL BY MW,

ATTORNEY.

c. F. BALL March 20, 1962 MINING MACHINE HAVING LATERALLY ADJUSTABLE HEAD 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 15, 1958 FIG. IO.

IN VENTOR CHARLES E BALL ATTORNEY.

United States Patent '0 3,026,097 MINING MACHINE HAVING LATERALLY ADJUSTABLE HEAD Charles Field Ball, Franklin, Pa. Filed Apr. 15, 1958, Ser. No. 728,69 Claims. (Cl. 262-9) This invention has reference to mineral mining and loading machines and more particulmly to an improved mining and loading machine of the longwall type having improved cutting and dislodging mechanism.

The invention has for its primary object to provide an improved construction of machine for simultaneously cutting down and loading coal from an exposed buttock on a longwall coal face and by which the cut coal is delivered to a face conveyor adjacent to and running the length of the coal face. Another object is to provide an improved cutting and dislodging head mechanism for a mining machine, with the head mechanism being capable of contraction and expansion to vary the lateral and vertical extent of its boundaries. A further object is to provide an improved cutting and dislodging head mechanism having endless cutter chain means guided for orbital circulation along chain guides which are capable of adjustment whereby the head mechanism can be reduced in width and height. Yet another object is to provide an adjustable head mechanism wherein but a single endless cutter chain is employed for cutting the roof, floor and side face of a mine vein. A still further object is to provide an improved cutting and dislodging head mechanism embodying rotary cutters and endless cutter chain means for forming a passageway within a mine vein along a longwall face. Still another object of the invention is to provide improved driving means for the cutting and dislodging mechanism. These and other objects and advantages of the invention will, however, hereinafter more fully appear.

According to the present invention a mineral mining and loading machine comprises a mobile base, mining mechanisms one at each end of the base for dislodging and disintegrating the mineral of a solid mine vein irrespective of the endwise direction in which the machine is moving, each mechanism embodying means for removing the mineral to form the roof, floor and side face of the exposed buttock, each mining mechanism including a cutter head carrying cutting and dislodging devices, each mining mechanism including its cutter head being adjustable whereby the same may be reduced in width and height to permit its free passage within the space formed by the leading mimng mechanism, means whereby each cutter head may be adjusted vertically so that the leading head can be positioned to suit the floor of the seam to be cut and the trailing head, which has been reduced in height and breadth, raised clear of the floor, and means to receive the mineral dislodged and disintegrated by each mining mechanism and to discharge it to the side of the machine.

The invention further consists in a mineral mining and loading machine comprising a mobile base, a mining machine cutter head extending from each end of the base, each cutter head embodying at least one cutter chain arranged to cut the roof, floor and side face of the exposed buttock, guides for said cutter chain, or chains, said guides being capable of adjustment whereby each cutter head can be reduced in width and height to permit its free passage within the space cut by the leading end mining head, means whereby each cutter head can be adjusted vertically so that the leading head can be positioned to suit the floor of the seam to be cut and the trailing head, which has been reduced in height and breadth, raised clear of the floor, and means to receive ice the mineral cut by each cutting head and to discharge it to the side of the machine so that it can be received by a face conveyor.

The invention further consists in a mineral mining machine as set forth in the preceding paragraph, wherein each cutter head is provided With a single cutter chain mounted to travel in an upper horizontal guide, in a vertical guide on the face side of the machine and in a lower horizontal guide, the upper horizontal guide being capable of vertical adjustment with respect to the lower horizontal guide and the vertical guide being capable of lateral adjustment.

The chain guides are, in a preferred embodiment, retained in an extended position by means of removable distance pieces which, when removed, permit the upper guide to be lowered relative to the lower guide and the vertical guide to be moved laterally to reduce the overall width of the cutter heads. Each cutter head may also include at least two corelated boring arms arranged to cut bores in the mineral face, said arms being located somewhat in advance of the cutter chain.

The boring arm nearer to the vertical guide may overlap the chain traveling in said guide, when the latter is in its outer position, the overlap being such that the mineral cut by the cutter chain when operating in a zone above the horizontal plane containing the axis of the boring arm, passes to the cavity made by said boring arm.

The invention further consists in a mining machine as set forth in any of the three preceding paragraphs wherein each cutter head is pivotally mounted on the base or chassis to tilt in a vertical plane relative thereto and is provided with means to tilt the head. The drive to each cutter head may be transmitted through shafts extending transversely of the body or chassis and the cutter heads mounted to tilt about the axes of said shafts. The said chain guides may be such that they can be tilted as a unit. A feature of the invention resides in that the cutter chain of each cutter head on the side opposite the vertical guide forms a loop which passes around a driving sprocket wheel.

For use in cutting thick mineral seams we may provide detachably mounted auxiliary cutters and gearing therefor, said cutters being so mounted that they serve to break down the mineral left between the top of the boring arms and the cut made by the upper run of the cutter chain.

In the accompanying drawings there are shown for purposes of illustration one form and a modification which the invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a mineral mining and loading machine in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is a section on the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the machine of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an end view of FIG. 1 looking to the right and showing the cutting and dislodging head with the cutter chain in its extended or expanded position.

FIG. 5 is an end view of FIG. 1 looking to the left and showing the cutting and dislodging head with the cutter chain in its contracted or collapsed position.

FIG. 6 is a detail endview of the cutter chain guides.

FIG. 7 shows one side of the chain guides looking to the right of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 shows the other side of the chain guides as seen looking to the left of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary plan view of a modified cutter head with auxiliary cutters fitted thereto; and

FIG. 10 is an end view of the cutter head of FIG. 9 with auxiliary cutters.

As shown in the drawings the improved mineral cutting and loading machine is for illustrative purposes of Patented Mar. 20, 1962 a which the transmission gearings and the hydraulic motor for driving the crawler treads are located.

As shown in FIG. 2 each crawler frame a houses the transmission gear for the endless track, indicated by the gear casing 16b, a power unit 180 therefor and carries the track 10d, the whole constituting a unit which is rigidly attached to the central framework 19s of the chassis.

Each cutting and dislodging head comprises a pair of parallel shafts 13 which carry at their forward ends boring arms 14, and also comprises an endless cutter chain 15 which travels orbital-1y in guides to be hereafter described.

Mounted on the chassis is a main driving motor 16 on each end of which is an adjustable overload friction clutch 17 and a manually operated clutch 18. Bevel gear boxes 19 are mounted on the outboard ends of the clutch housings and the bevel gears therein drive the shafts 13 through a worm reduction gear within casings 20, the worm shafts extending transversely of the chassis, planetary gear'within casings 21 and spur gear within casings 22. Oneof the shafts 13 of each cutter head drives through a sprocket wheel 22a the corresponding cutter chain 15.

Each cutter head is supported by a pivot block 23 which in turn is mounted to rotate in a vertical plane about trunnions 23a formed on the outer faces of the bevel gear box 19, the axes of the trunnions being coaxial with the said worm shafts. Hydraulic cylinders 24 located one on each side of each bevel gear box 19 are mounted on fixed rams 25 and are connected by pivotal joints 26 to the pivot block 23.

Each cutting and dislodging head embodies a framework comprising a rear wall 27, a forwardly positioned three sided structure formed of a horizontal member '28 and two vertical members 29 and 30, and means interconnecting said three sided structure to the rear wall- 7 27 comprising a horizontal plate 31 and side plates 32 and 33. The horizontal plate 31 forms the floor plate of the corresponding conveyor 12 and the side plate 32 is positioned to form an opening 32a through which the cut mineral on the conveyor is discharged; A bracket 27a is rigidly attached to rear wall 27, said bracket carrying vertical supporting members 34 vertically slidable in recesses therein. Tothe upper ends of the vertical members is secured a top structure 35 which extends forwardly and carries a chain guide 36 for the upper run of the cutter chain. The said bracket 27a is rigidly secured to the pivot block 23.

Each cutting and dislodging head is provided with a hydraulic jack 37, see FIG. 3, by which the top structure 35 with chain guide 36 can be raised and lowered relative to the three sided frame structure formed by the members 28, 29 and 30. Each cutter chain 15, which, as previously stated, is driven by a sprocket wheel 22a, is passed around an idler sprocket wheel 38, see FIG; '6, and is guided by a guide projection 36:: into the upper horizontal chain guide 36 which is attached to the top structure 35 by means of a horizontal T-slot cut in the said structure engaging a similarly shaped male section 37a formed integrally with the horizontal guide 36, see FIG. 7. This guide continues vertically downwards on the face side of the machine as at 39-and is located by means of a vertical T-shape section 40 which fits within avertical adapter piece 41 attached to the vertical member spectively constitute the lower horizontal chain guide along which the chain passes and at the end thereof adjacent to the vertical member 29 is secured a bracket 45 which carries a freely rotating roller 46 under which the chain passes in entering the horizontal guide. This bracket is located and attached by means of a key 47 held in the chain guide and also by means of a horizontal T-head 48 which fits into a corresponding slot in the vertical member. The bracket is restrained from movement sideways under the action of the chain by means of a distance piece 49 bolted to the horizontal chain guide 28. The vertical downwardly extending section of the chain guide 39 is located relative to the bracket 45 by means of side plates 50 which are bolted to the vertical member 29 by the bolts 51.

In this construction the side plates 59 form a guide for the cutter chain between the guide 39 and the guide roller 46 and the sectionsSZ formed integral therewith and extending inwardly at the rear of the chain provide distance pieces by which the position of the upper horizontal guide is fixed relative to the lower horizontal guide. The chain, having passed under the roller 46 and along the lower guide, then passes around a second freely rotating roller 53 fixed to the foot of the vertical member 30 which is located on what is termed the waste side of the machine, and from said roller it passes around the driving sprocket wheel 22a. The upright 30 has an integrally formed vertical T 30a which engages in a similar T-slot in a vertical bar 54. The latter is secured to the horizontal guide 36 by screw 55 and retained in vertical relationship to this guide bar by a flanged plate 56 when the screw 55 is removed.

The vertical bar 54 carries at its upper extremity the guide projection 36a for supporting the cutter chain and guiding the chain into the horizontal guide 36. The vertical bar 54 is further maintained in relationship with the guide 36 by means of an integral key 58 formed on its top surface which engages a keyway cut in the lower surface of the guide 36. The vertical bar 54 is also located vertically by distance piece 59 fastened to the frame upright 30, while the chain guide 36 is maintained in correct horizontal relationship with the vertical bar 54 by a distance piece 69.

Each conveyor 12 is powered by a hydraulic motor 61, positioned on the rear of wall 27 on the face side of the machine and coupled by means of a universal shaft, 61a, to gearing within a gear case 61b, said gearing driving the conveyor drive shaft.

To each side of the driving motor 16 are bolted plates 62 which extend lengthwise along the machine and carry means by which the motorized pump unit 63, the hydraulic reservoir 64, the electrical control gear 65, and the hydraulic control gear 66 are supported. Said motorized pump unit 63 includes a tandem pump and a variable capacity pump, the former energizing the hydraulic conveyor motors 61 and the positioning jacks 24 and 37 and the latter delivering to hydraulic motors through a flow divider as set forth, for example in the C. F. Ball Patent No. 2,771,958, owned by the assignee of the present invention, each track being independently driven by one of such hydraulic motors.

When operating in mining mineral such as coal, for example, one cutting and dislodging head is extended or expanded to full width and desired height, as shown in FIG. 4, while the opposite end cutting and dislodging head is collapsed as shown in FIG. 5 to permit its free passage along the coal face. The expanded head is set in motion, i.e. its shafts 13 with boring arms and its cutter chain are driven by the motor 16, after manually'engaging the appropriate transmission clutch 18 which controls the cutter chain and boring arms. The appropriate conveyor 12 is started by the manipulation of a hydraulic control valve which passes fluid to the conveyor hydraulic motor 61 from the aforesaid tandem pump. The machine is advanced on its endless tracks into the buttock of the mine vein, the rate of advance being controlled manually by means of the said variable capacity pump. The cutting and dislodging heads may be tilted by admitting pressure fluid to the cylinders 24.

The boring arms 14 of the leading cutting and dislodging machine head out cores in the mineral face and the cutter chain cuts into mineral face at the rear of the boring arms, the path of the cutter chain being defined by the upper, lower and vertical chain guides. It will be noted that the bore cut by the boring arm nearer to the vertical chain guide is overlapped by the latter. In consequence the mineral cut by the upper run of the cutter chain and that cut thereby during that part of its vertical travel which is above the horizontal plane con taining the axis of said boring arm passes into the aforesaid cavity. From there it passes together with the other mineral cut by the boring arms and cutter chain to the conveyor 12 positioned immediately to the rear of the cutter chain. The conveyor 12 delivers the disintegrated mineral thereon to a conventional face conveyor, not shown, which extends parallel with the face outside of the machine path, in a well known manner.

When the entire face has been traversed the machine is stopped and the expanded head reduced in width and height by contracting the same. The machine is then moved over to the buttock exposed on this end of the face. The head nearest the buttock is then expanded to cutting position and set in motion. As the machine advances the collapsed trailing head is carried clear of the floor and the leading head positioned vertically to suit the vein. The machine therefore moves to and fro along the length of the coal face cutting and loading coal into -a face conveyor and using its two mining heads alternately. The shafts 13 not provided with the sprocket wheels 22a may be fitted with radially extending blades, not shown, to break and/ or move the coal rearwards towards the conveyor.

To reduce the mining head in both height and width the following procedure is adopted:

The height is reduced by, firstly, removing bolts 51 together with side plates 50 on the face side of the machine, the distance piece 59 on the waste side, and then releasing the hydraulic cylinder 37 which allows the top structure 35 together with the horizontal guide bar 36 and the vertical bar 54 to drop downwards. The top structure 35 is guided in bracket 27a; the horizontal guide 36 with its downward vertical extension 39 is guided in the T-slot in adaptor 41, while the vertical bar 54 is guided on the T-head formed on the frame upright 30. Having thus reduced the height, remove bolts 44, distance pieces 49 and 60 and also bolts 55 whereupon the chain guide 36 together with the adaptor 41 and also the bracket 45 may be moved over towards the waste side of the machine thereby completing the contraction of the mining head. The slack cutter chain on the face side may be taken up and tied to the adjacent shaft 13.

To expand the head the width is firstly increased by moving the guide 36 with its downward vertical extension 39 and brackets '45 laterally and replacing the various distance pieces 60 and 49 together with the bolts 55 and 44. By means of the hydraulic cylinder 37 the upper horizontal guide 36 is raised relative to the lower guide and distance piece 59 and side plates 50 together with bolts 51 are replaced to hold the upper guide in its adjusted position. If desired, locating pins 34a are inserted in aligned holes in the bracket 27a and supporting members 34. As previously stated, the side plates 50 incorporate a distance piece which determines the vertical relationship between the top and bottom horizontal chain guides 6 and'these pieces, together with the distance piece 59 will vary in size according to the height being cut, each side plate and distance piece being suitable for one cutting height only.

In dealing with mine veins or coal seams which are relatively thick and which necessitate the upper horizontal chain guide being raised substantially above the path swept by the boring arms 14 we may provide auxiliary cutters to cut the coal left uncut between the chain cutter in traversing the upper guide and the boring arms 14. v

A suitable modified arrangement of auxiliary cutters is shown in FIG. 9 or 10. Said auxiliary cutters are designated 70 and 71 each being rotatably supported by a gear casing 72 containing a train of gears. The two gear casings are removably mounted on the gear casings 22, the gearing in the latter driving the auxiliary cutters through the aforesaid gear trains. Where auxiliary cutters are provided the stop structure 35a is formed with a central supporting member shown in FIG. 9, such arrangement providing room for the auxiliary cutters. The auxiliary cutters complete with their gear casings 72 can be removed when not required.

As a result of this invention there is provided an improved mining and loading machine having improved collapsible and expansible cutting and dislodging head mechanism whereby the overall dimensions of the head mechanism may be varied within predetermined limits as desired. By the provision of the collapsible and expansible head mechanisms at the opposite ends of the mobile base the machine may operate in either direction along a longwall face without the necessity of turning the machine around at the end of each cut, and the head mechanism at the trailing end of the machine may be collapsed and raised up out of the way. The head mechanisms are pivotally mounted at the ends of the machine base and the leading head may be adjusted vertically to suit the floor of the mine vein to be cut, while the trailing head is held in collapsed position. By the provision of the auxiliary cutter any mineral left between the tops of the boring arms and the cut made by the upper run of the chain cutter will be broken down. The machine is relatively compact and well balanced and relatively simple and rugged in design. These and other advantages of the invention will be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art.

While there are in this application specifically described one form and a modification which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form and modification of the same are shown for purposes of illustration and that the invention may be further modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A mining apparatus having means for extending contiguous bores formed by rotatable boring elements comprising, an endless cutter chain guided for circulation in a path which defines the upper, lower, and a side surface of a recess in a mineral vein and lying in a plane which is rearward of said boring elements and normal to the axes of such contiguous bores, said path comprising rectilinear portions which are normal. to each other for forming the upper and a side surface of such a recess, and means for moving said rectilinear portions beyond and Within the extremity of the orbits of such boring elements.

2. A mining apparatus having means for extending contiguous bores formed by rotatable boring elements comprising, an endless cutter chain guided for circulation in a path which defines the entire surface of a recess in a mineral vein and being bodily adjustable in a plane which is rearward of said boring elements and normal to the axes of such contiguous bores, said path comprising a rectilinear portion in a plane parallel to and above a plane containing the axes of such contiguous bores,

means for moving said rectilinear portion laterally downwardly-or upwardly Within or above thebore pattern respectivelyof such'contiguous bores, said path further comprising another rectilinear portion being-normal to saidfirst mentioned rectilinear portion, and means for moving said another rectilinear portion laterally inward- 1y or outwardly of the bore pattern.

3.- The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said'fi'rst and second mentioned rectilinear portions are movable independentlyof each other.

4.-A mining apparatus having means for extending contiguous bores formed by rotatable boring elements by forming the entire surface of -a recess in a mineral vein comprising, an endless circulating cutter chain means for guiding said chain in a predetermined path during circulation thereof, said path comprising a first rectilinear portion which is above and parallel to a plane containing the axes of'such bores and a second rectilinear portion being normal to and coplanar with said first portion, means for moving said first rectilinear pontion of 2 said guide means toward and away from such plane containing the axes of such bores so that said cutter chain may be guided for circulation within or without the pr0- jected area of such contiguous bores, and means for moving said second rectilinear portion of said guide means within and'without the projected area of the boring element located adjacent thereto.

'5. A mining apparatus having means for extending contiguous bores formed by rotatable elements comprising; an endless cutter chain guided for circulation in mutually perpendicular coplanar guideways; said guidefor forming the side surface of said recess, within and 7 without thebore pattern formed by one of said rotatable elements.

References Cited in the file. of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,093,448 Joy Sept. 21, 1937 2,189,670 Lewis Feb. 6, 1940 2,730,346 Joy Jan. 10, 1956 2,750,175. Cartlidge June 12, 1956 2,777,681 Ball Jan. 15, 1957 2,783,037 Cartlidge Feb. 26, 1957 2,788,201 Lindgren et a1 Apr. 9, 1957 2,801,836 Risse Aug. 6,1957 2,816,747 Ball Dec.. 17, 1957 2,868,526 Jamison et a1 Jan. 13, 1959 2,877,999 Snyder et a1. Mar. 17, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 496,181 Belgium Oct. 2, 1950 521,915 Great Britain June 4, 1940 696,690 Great Britain Sept. 9, 1953 1,002,715 Germany Feb. 21, 1957 OTHER REFERENCES Coal Age, October 1951, pages 82-86. V

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,026,097 March 20, 1962 Charles Field Ball It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

In the grant, lines 1 to 3, for "Charles Field Ball,. of Franklin, Pennsylvania," read Charles Field Ball, of Franklin, Pennsylvania, assignor to Joy Manufacturing Company, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a corporation of Pennsylvania, line 12, for "Charles Field Ball, his heirs" read Joy Manufacturing Company, its successors in the heading to the printed specification, line 4, for "Charles Field Ball, Franklin, Pa.'"read Charles Field Ball, Franklin, Pa., assignor to Joy Manufacturing Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Signed and sealed this 10th day of July 1962,.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER DAVID L. LADD Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

